Digital combined apparatus, control method therefor, and digital combined apparatus system

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a digital combined apparatus including an operation panel, a reader/writer which writes/reads data on/from a recording medium, and a controller which controls the operations of the operation panel and reader/writer. When the reader/writer reads out ID information of the user from the recording medium on which at least the ID information is recorded, the operation panel displays a user authentication window which prompts the user to input a password for identifying himself or herself.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A technique of operating a conventional copying machine or the like isdisclosed in, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-175225.

A copying machine disclosed in this reference reads an IC card ormagnetic card which holds ID information representing a user. Thedigital combined apparatus can identify the user and allows the user touse it. This copying machine performs charging management for each useron the basis of the read ID information.

A user registers address information such as an E-mail address or FAXnumber in the copying machine, and another user can use the addressinformation.

The conventional copying machine suffers the following problems.

(1) When address information is saved not in the copying machine but inthe IC card or magnetic card of the user, another user cannot use theaddress information and has to input the same address information to thecopying machine.

(2) When address information is saved in the copying machine, theaddress information may be used by another user who should not use it,violating the privacy.

(3) If an IC card or magnetic card is stolen, an “unauthorized” user mayuse the copying machine to charge the authentic user.

(4) When the user wants to transfer a file in a user's client personalcomputer (to be referred to as a client PC hereinafter) to the copyingmachine and print out the file outside his/her home, he/she cannoteasily refer to an address book registered in the copying machine on theclient PC. Even if the user can use the address book, the address bookmay be known by a third person, resulting in poor security.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a digital combinedapparatus (MFP; Multi-Function Printer) capable of solving theabove-described processing problems and security problems, a controlmethod therefor, and a digital combined apparatus system.

A digital combined apparatus according to the present inventioncomprises an operation panel, a reader/writer which writes/reads dataon/from a recording medium, and a controller which controls operationsof the operation panel and the reader/writer,

wherein when the reader/writer reads out ID information of a user fromthe recording medium on which at least the ID information is recorded,the operation panel displays a user authentication window which promptsthe user to input a password for identifying the user.

It is also possible that the digital combined apparatus furthercomprises a memory which stores data, and that the operation paneldisplays the user authentication window, the controller collates apassword input on the operation panel in accordance with the userauthentication window with an authentic password saved in the memory inadvance, and if the input password is determined to be authentic, thedigital combined apparatus can be operated.

A digital combined apparatus system according to the present inventioncomprises at least one digital combined apparatus, and a server which isconnected to the digital combined apparatus via a network and has amemory,

wherein the server collates a password input on an operation panel withan authentic password stored in the memory, and upon determining thatthe input password is authentic, outputs an instruction to a controllerso as to allow operating the digital combined apparatus.

When the server determines that the input password is authentic, a userhaving the password can be billed for a subsequent job performed by thedigital combined apparatus.

It is also possible that address information representing a transmissiondestination, and available/unavailable information representing whetheranother user can use the address information are input on the operationpanel, the memory stores the address information and theavailable/unavailable information, and the controller permits orinhibits use of the address information by another user in accordancewith the available/unavailable information.

It is also possible that the digital combined apparatus system comprisesat least two digital combined apparatuses, address informationrepresenting a transmission destination input on the operation panel ofone digital combined apparatus is saved in the memory of the server, andthe address information can be used in the other digital combinedapparatus connected via the network.

It is also possible that the digital combined apparatus system furthercomprises a client PC connected to the network, and when the serverdetermines that the password input on the operation panel of the digitalcombined apparatus is authentic, address information saved in the clientPC of a user is loaded into the digital combined apparatus and can beused in the digital combined apparatus.

It is also possible that the digital combined apparatus system furthercomprises a client PC connected to the network, and when the serverdetermines that the password input on the operation panel of the digitalcombined apparatus is authentic, a data file saved in the client PC of auser is loaded into the digital combined apparatus and can be used inthe digital combined apparatus.

According to the present invention, a method of controlling a digitalcombined apparatus having an operation panel, a reader/writer whichwrites/reads data on/from a recording medium, and a controller whichcontrols operations of the operation panel and the reader/writer,comprises the steps of

causing the reader/writer to read out ID information of a user from therecording medium on which at least the ID information is recorded, and

causing the operation panel to display a user authentication windowwhich prompts the user to input a password for identifying the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing the schematic arrangement of adigital combined apparatus according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the configuration of a system inwhich the digital combined apparatus is connected to a client PC via anetwork;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a window display in the digitalcombined apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an operation sequence in the digitalcombined apparatus; and

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing information contents exchangedbetween the digital combined apparatus and a recording medium.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described indetail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the schematic arrangement of a digital combined apparatus10 according to the embodiment. The digital combined apparatus 10comprises a digital combined apparatus main body 1 having a controller20, a memory 21, and an operation panel 6 including a touch panel 4 andLCD panel 5 serving as a means for setting various functions andoperation contents by the user; and a reader/writer 2 which writes dataon a recording medium 3 such as an IC card, magnetic card, memory card,barcode-printed card, or wireless unit and reads recorded data.

The controller 20 controls the operations of the digital combinedapparatus main body 1 and reader/writer 2. The memory 21 saves variousdata such as user ID information and address information to be describedlater. The reader/writer 2 has a connector for electrically connectingan IC card, magnetic card, and memory card, a means for inserting andreading a barcode-printed card, and a means for transmitting/receivingdata to/from a wireless unit in a noncontact state.

The digital combined apparatus may be used singly or as a systemconstructed by connecting via a network 14 at least one digital combinedapparatus 10 and a plurality of user's client PCs 11, 12, . . . , asshown in FIG. 2.

In some cases, two or more digital combined apparatuses 10, 13, . . .may be connected via the network 14 to construct a system.

Data necessary to operate the digital combined apparatuses 10, 13, . . .may be managed by the digital combined apparatuses 10, 13, . . . orintegrally managed by a server 15 which is connected to the network 14and has a memory 15 a.

The operation contents of the digital combined apparatus 10 controlledby the controller 20 will be explained with reference to FIG. 3 showingthe transition of the image display and FIG. 4 showing operationcontents as a flow chart.

In an initial state, the window display on the operation panel 6 of thedigital combined apparatus 10 provides menu buttons for selecting anyone of, e.g., “copy”, “FAX”, “mail”, and “scan”, as shown as a commonmenu window 7 in FIG. 3.

In this state, in step S10, the reader/writer 2 detects the recordingmedium 3 of each user.

In step S12, the reader/writer 2 reads ID information which is writtenon the recording medium 3 and identifies the user.

Instep S14, read of ID information triggers transition of the windowdisplay on the operation panel 6 from the common menu window 7 to a userauthentication window 8 which prompts the user to input a password, asshown in FIG. 2. The user authentication window 8 corresponds to apassword input popup window, and the user inputs a password set inadvance.

In step S16, the controller 20 collates the input password with anauthentic password saved in the memory 21 within the digital combinedapparatus main body 1.

If YES in step S16, the controller 20 allows the use of the digitalcombined apparatus 10 in step S18, and displays a user personal menuwindow 9 customized for each user on the operation panel 6. The userpersonal menu window 9 is customized on the basis of the past operationlog of each user. The user personal menu window 9 provides menu buttonsfor selecting general processes such as “copy”, “FAX”, “mail”, and“scan”, and menu buttons for selecting user processes such as “edit apersonal address book”, “refer to a common address book”, “refer to apersonal PC address book”, “load a print job”, “edit and save a userpersonal menu window”, and “refer to previous work settings”.

Information for displaying the user authentication window 8 and userpersonal menu window 9 is loaded from the memory 21 in the digitalcombined apparatus main body 1 in the use of the single digital combinedapparatus 10. When the digital combined apparatus 10 is used as anetwork-connected system, the information may be loaded from the memory21 within the main body 1 of the digital combined apparatus 10 or fromthe memory 15 a in the server 15 connected to the network 14.

If the user selects “edit a personal address book”, he/she can input,save, or delete the personal address book in the window.

If the user selects “refer to a common address book”, he/she can selectwhether or not to disclose the personal address book to the commonaddress book. If the personal address book is disclosed to the commonaddress book, the user inputs address information to be disclosed andavailable information. If the personal address book is not disclosed,the user inputs undisclosed address information and unavailableinformation. The controller 20 performs processing of adding or notadding the address to the common address book in accordance with theavailable or unavailable information.

If the user selects “refer to a personal PC address book”, he/she canrefer to an address book in the client PC of the user.

If the user selects “load a print job”, he/she can load data on a printjob set in advance.

If the user selects “edit and save a user personal menu window”, he/shecan edit or save his/her menu window.

If the user selects “refer to previous work settings”, he/she can readout and refer to previous work settings.

The user is billed for various jobs executed by the user after thepassword is authenticated.

If the recording medium 3 is removed from the reader/writer 2, thewindow displays returns from the user personal menu window 9 to thecommon menu window 7.

If NO in step S16, the controller 20 inhibits the use of the digitalcombined apparatus 10 in step S20.

Data on the above-mentioned personal address book, common address book,personal PC address book, print job, user personal menu window editingresults, and previous work settings are saved in the memory 21 withinthe digital combined apparatus main body 1, or saved and integrallymanaged in the memory 15 a of the server 15 connected via the network 14to the digital combined apparatuses 10, 13, . . . .

When these data are integrally managed by the server 15, addresses savedin the common address book can be commonly used in a plurality ofdigital combined apparatuses 10, 13, . . . connected via the network 14.

FIG. 5 shows information contents exchanged between the digital combinedapparatus main body 1 and the recording medium 3.

The recording medium 3 of each user must hold at least ID information ofthe user as necessary information INF1.

When the recording medium 3 is a writable/readable IC card or memorycard, information on the past job log of each user is saved asinformation INF2 necessary to display the user personal menu window.When the recording medium 3 is not any writable/readable medium, theinformation INF2 is saved in the memory 21 within the digital combinedapparatus 10 or the memory 15 a within the server 15.

Information INF3 on various job settings may be saved as an option inthe recording medium 3.

User ID information and another information are transferred from therecording medium 3 to the digital combined apparatus main body 1. Thecontroller 20 in the digital combined apparatus main body 1 recognizesthe user ID information on the basis of the transferred information, andsets the user personal menu window on the operation panel 6, and loadsand updates the job setting log. Of these pieces of information,necessary information such as data on the user personal menu window andthe job setting log is transferred from the controller 20 to the memory21 where the information is stored. Note that these pieces ofinformation are not necessarily stored in the memory 21 within thedigital combined apparatus 10. These pieces of information may be savedin the recording medium 3 of each user and loaded from the recordingmedium 3.

Information on the work setting log is supplied from the controller 20to the recording medium 3 where the information is written.

When the recording medium 3 is an IC card or memory card, data can bewritten on the recording medium 3 by using the digital combinedapparatus 10 or a user's client PC, PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), orthe like. When the recording medium 3 is a magnetic card, a magneticcard reader/writer must be used. For a barcode-printed card, a barcodeprinting device must be used.

In the user personal menu window 9, an address book which is registeredto a personal address book by a user and disclosed to the common addressbook can be used by another user.

The user personal menu window 9 can provide personal PC address booksstored in the user's client PCs 11, 12, . . . which are connected viathe network 14. The personal PC address books can be referred to, loadedinto the digital combined apparatuses 10, 13, . . . , and printed out.

To realize this service, a common address book must be created andmanaged in a folder shared between the user's client PCs 11, 12, . . .which are connected via the network 14.

If the user selects “edit a personal address book” described above,he/she can edit the window. The editing results are saved in the memory21 within each digital combined apparatus main body 1, or saved andintegrally managed in the memory 15 a of the server 15 connected to thedigital combined apparatus 10 via the network 14.

When the editing results are integrally managed by the server 15, theuser personal menu window 9 can also be used by other digital combinedapparatuses 13, . . . connected via the network 14.

If the user selects “refer to previous work settings” described above,he/she can refer to previous work settings in the user personal menuwindow 9. Information on work settings is saved in the memory 21 withineach digital combined apparatus main body 1, or saved and integrallymanaged in the memory 15 a of the server 15 connected via the network14.

When the work settings are integrally managed by the server 15, worksettings performed in a plurality of digital combined apparatuses 10,13, . . . which are connected via the network 14 are also managed. Theuse of previous work settings can increase the efficiency of performingthe same work settings or similar work settings.

The user may be inhibited from using, e.g., various functions andaddresses of the digital combined apparatus 10. In this case,information on available functions and unavailable functions is saved inthe memory 21 within the digital combined apparatus main body 1, orsaved and integrally managed in the memory 15 a of the server 15connected via the network.

According to the above-described embodiment, user ID information writtenon a recording medium is read by the reader/writer of the digitalcombined apparatus. This triggers automatic display of a userauthentication window as a popup window which prompts the user to inputa password. Only after the user inputs an authentic password, he/she canuse the digital combined apparatus. As a result, the personalinformation, address book, and charging information of each user can beprotected.

A file stored in a user's client PC which is connected to the digitalcombined apparatus via a network can be processed in the digitalcombined apparatus via the network, or used for processing such asprintout or FAX transmission.

A personal PC address book managed in a client PC can be referred to onthe screen of the digital combined apparatus 10, eliminating the needfor any address input.

The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and does not limitthe present invention. The present invention can be variously modifiedwithin the technical scope of the present invention.

1. A digital combined apparatus comprising an operation panel; areader/writer which writes/reads data on/from a recording medium; acontroller which controls operations of said operation panel and saidreader/writer; and a memory which stores an authentic password and datafor a user personal menu window customized on the basis of the pastoperation log of each user; wherein when said reader/writer reads out IDinformation of a user from the recording medium on which at least the IDinformation is recorded, said operation panel displays a userauthentication window which prompts the user to input a password foridentifying the user, said operation panel displays the userauthentication window, said controller collates a password input on saidoperation panel in accordance with the user authentication window withthe authentic password saved in said memory in advance, and if the inputpassword is determined to be authentic, the digital combined apparatuscan be operated, and said controller reads the data for the userpersonal menu window from the memory and displays the user personal menuwindow on said operation panel.
 2. A digital combined apparatuscomprising at least one digital combined apparatus disclosed in claim 1,and a server which is connected to said digital combined apparatus via anetwork and has a memory, wherein said server collates a password inputon an operation panel with an authentic password stored in the memory,and upon determining that the input password is authentic, outputs aninstruction to a controller so as to allow operating said digitalcombined apparatus.
 3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein whensaid server determines that the input password is authentic, a userhaving the password is billed for a subsequent job performed by saiddigital combined apparatus.
 4. An apparatus according to claim 2,wherein the digital combined apparatus system comprises at least twodigital combined apparatuses, address information representing atransmission destination input on the operation panel of one digitalcombined apparatus is saved in the memory of said server, and theaddress information can be used in said other digital combined apparatusconnected via the network.
 5. An apparatus according to claim 2, whereinthe digital combined apparatus system further comprises a client PCconnected to the network, and when said server determines that thepassword input on the operation panel of said digital combined apparatusis authentic, address information saved in said client PC of a user isloaded into said digital combined apparatus and can be used in saiddigital combined apparatus.
 6. An apparatus according to claim 2,wherein the digital combined apparatus system further comprises a clientPC connected to the network, and when said server determines that thepassword input on the operation panel of said digital combined apparatusis authentic, a data file saved in said client PC of a user is loadedinto said digital combined apparatus and can be used in said digitalcombined apparatus.
 7. An apparatus according to claim 1, whereinaddress information representing a transmission destination, andavailable/unavailable information representing whether another user canuse the address information are input on said operation panel, saidmemory stores the address information and the available/unavailableinformation, and said controller permits or inhibits use of the addressinformation by another user in accordance with the available/unavailableinformation.
 8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein saidoperation panel enables the user to edit the user personal menu window,and a result of the edit is stored in said memory.
 9. A method ofcontrolling a digital combined apparatus having an operation panel, areader/writer which writes/reads data on/from a recording medium, and acontroller which controls operations of the operation panel and thereader/writer, and a memory which stores an authentic password and datafor a user personal menu window customized on the basis of the pastoperation log of each user, comprising the steps of: causing thereader/writer to read out ID information of a user from the recordingmedium on which at least the ID information is recorded; causing theoperation panel to display a user authentication window which promptsthe user to input a password for identifying the user, causing theoperation panel to display the user authentication window, causing thecontroller to collate a password input on the operation panel inaccordance with the user authentication window with the authenticpassword saved in the memory in advance, and if the input password isdetermined to be authentic, causing the digital combined apparatus to beoperated, and causing the controller to read the data for the userpersonal menu window from the memory and to display the user personalmenu window on the operation panel.
 10. A method according to claim 9,wherein a digital combined apparatus system comprises at least onedigital combined apparatus set forth in claim 9, and a server which isconnected to the digital combined apparatus via a network and a servermemory, the method further comprising the steps of: causing the serverto collate a password input on an operation panel with an authenticpassword stored in the server memory, and upon determining that theinput password is authentic, outputs an instruction to a controller soas to allow operating the digital combined apparatus.
 11. A methodaccording to claim 10, wherein the method further comprises the stepsof: when the server determines that the input password is authentic,causing the digital combined apparatus to bill a user having thepassword for a subsequent job performed by the digital combinedapparatus.
 12. A method according to claim 10, wherein the digitalcombined apparatus system comprises at least two digital combinedapparatuses, and the method further comprises the steps of: causing theserver to save address information representing a transmissiondestination input on the operation panel of one digital combinedapparatus in the server memory, and causing the address information tobe able to be used in the other digital combined apparatus connected viathe network.
 13. A method according to claim 10, wherein the digitalcombined apparatus system comprises a client PC connected to thenetwork, and the method further comprising the steps of: when the serverdetermines that the password input on the operation panel of the digitalcombined apparatus is authentic, causing the digital combined apparatusto load address information saved in the client PC of a user and toenable the user to use the address information.
 14. A method accordingto claim 10, wherein the digital combined apparatus system comprises aclient PC connected to the network, and the method further comprises thesteps of: when the server determines that the password input on theoperation panel of the digital combined apparatus is authentic, causingthe digital combined apparatus to load a data file saved in the clientPC of a user and to enable the user to use the data file.
 15. A methodaccording to claim 9, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:when address information representing a transmission destination, anavailable/unavailable information representing whether another user canuse the address information are input on the operation panel, causingthe controller to store the address information and theavailable/unavailable information in the memory, and causing thecontroller to permit or inhibit use of the address information byanother user in accordance with the available/unavailable information.16. A method according to claim 9, wherein the method further comprisesthe steps of: causing the operation panel to enable the user to edit theuser personal menu window, and causing the controller to store a resultof the edit in the memory.